Matthew Gray Gubler has been a part of Criminal Minds since the very beginning of the show with his role as Dr. Spencer Reid but he was also given somewhat rare opportunities to direct episodes within the show. These episodes directed by Gubler are coined for being some of the most emotional, horrifying and psychologically thrilling episodes in the entire show, prompting fans to call for more episodes to be directed by him.
The first episode he directed is arguably one of the most well known episodes in the entire show, season 5 episode 16 ‘Mosley Lane’. This episode focuses on a couple who kidnap 13 kids over the span of a decade, sadly ending with only 3 returning home. This episode was noted among fans for a specific quote in the final scene where the parents of one of the deceased children ask the oldest survivor how their son died. This character (played by Evan Peters) tells the parents that their son died protecting the little girl taken just 24 hours prior and whose abduction got the BAU on the case. Upon hearing the news of their son, the parents break down painfully saying ‘he was alive yesterday?’ending the episode in one of the most heartbreaking ways in the entire show.
In the next season Matthew Gray Gubler directed episode 18 ‘Lauren’ which focused on what Agent Emily Prentiss did before joining the BAU. In this episode Prentiss gets taken by Ian Doyle who in my opinion is one of the most efficient killers in the whole show, him and the men he associated with border on being international terrorists. While this episode is memorable it is definitely not one of MGG’s more horrifying episodes.
One of his more psychologically thrilling episodes, which also happens to be one of my favorite episodes, is season 8 episode 10 ‘The Lesson’. This episode focuses on a killer stuck in a delusion where he never truly realizes the damage he has done, to him it’s all an elaborate performance reenacting the events that led to his fathers death. In this reenactment however he is trying to change the outcome so it’s as though his father never died and he attempts to turn several victims into his own human marionettes that he can use to tell the story. This episode is so haunting and terrifying I consider it a favorite because of how this case is not like the others. This killer genuinely doesn’t see anything wrong with what he’s doing which is so bizarre to me. He is so lost in his psychosis it was terrifying.
Another one of Gubler’s more scary episodes would be season 12 episode 6 ‘Elliott’s Pond’. This episode starts with the disappearance of three boys while they were following an old town legend about twins who went missing 30 years prior. The whole town has heard the legend of what happened to the twins but no one ever found out who did it. The episode reveals that the twins and boys were taken by the same delusional local hermit who had kept the twins alive and in captivity for over 30 years while he brainwashed them with conspiracy type beliefs. The twins who have grown to look scarily thin and pale due to their captivity are reunited with their brother and the boys are returned to their families safely.
The final episode I am going to discuss is season 9 episode 20 ‘Blood Relations’ which focuses on a family feud between the Lee’s and the Howard’s that gets taken too far. The most gruesome part of this episode is the deaths are all near if not complete decapitations by barbed wire. The episode is one of much unease as the killer is revealed to be the result of incest by the main Lee and main Howard who are actually siblings who gave up their child causing the mother to change her name and marry the son of her fathers enemy. The twists in this episode are so interesting, my first time watching I remember being glued to the seat and then utterly disgusted when the cause of everything was revealed.
Time and time again Matthew Gray Gubler has proven his potential as a director in some of the most memorable episodes in the entire 20+ season show. He has directed around 12 episodes for the show with each one telling a psychological horror unlike any other. As the show continues in a new spinoff ‘Criminal Minds: Evolution’ fans hope to see more of Gubler’s talent in more episodes, giving the show a horror essence that fans love.